Podcast
The Opus
Hosted by Consequence Podcast Network · EN
Consequence and Sony bring you an exploration of iconic albums and their ongoing legacy. Join host Adam Unze as he examines how masterpieces continue to evolve: shaping lives, shaking rafters, and ingraining themselves into our culture. Maybe you’re a longtime fan who wants to go deeper. Maybe you’re a first-time listener curious to hear more. Either way, you’re in the right place.
10episodes
Episodes
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50th Anniversary: Blood on the Tracks: How Dylan Birthed Bootleg Culture
Jan 26, 202500:28:56Tap to summarizeBob Dylan’s iconic 15th studio album Blood on the Tracks was released on January 20th, 1975. To celebrate the landmark record’s 50th anniversary, we’ve dug into the archives all the way back to 2018 to re-release the very first season of The Opus! Hosted by journalist and author Paula Mejía, The Opus: Blood on the Tracks explores the legacy of both the record and Dylan himself, with special guests including Kevin Morby and Beth Orton, as well as episodes focusing on things like Dylan’s cinematic legacy. That’s especially fitting in light of the new biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Consequence’s 2024 Film Performer of the Year Timotheé Chalamet as Dylan.Take some shelter from the storm and tune in to The Opus: Blood on the Tracks, with re-released episodes dropping every other day this whole week.In our prior episode, film critics Monica Castillo and Jordan Hoffman joined Paula to unpack Dylan's vast life in film, from Todd Haynes avant garde biopic portrait I'm Not There to the forthcoming adaptation of Blood on the Tracks by Luca Guadagnino. In this episode, the season finale, Paula is joined by three critics, record collectors, and Dylan fans, Jesse Jarno, Alison Fensterstock, and Jeff Slate.Together, they discuss the distinctive bootleg culture that's been Dylan's studio recordings, shedding some light on the myths surrounding this record and exploring how Dylan keeps reinventing these songs in the present.Consequence is also holding the All for LA benefit on the Consequence Shop in response to the deadly wildfires still burning in Los Angeles. 100% of proceeds from our new “Protect Live Music: All for LA” short sleeved T-shirt will be donated to MusiCares as they work to help music industry professionals recover; 100% of proceeds for all other All for LA merch, including The Opus T-shirts, will go to benefit One World Kitchen in their efforts to help feed those battling the fires and communities impacted by the destruction. Find out more at the Consequence Shop.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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50th Anniversary: Blood on the Tracks: Evaluating Dylan's Cinematic Legacy
Jan 24, 202500:32:48Tap to summarizeBob Dylan’s iconic 15th studio album Blood on the Tracks was released on January 20th, 1975. To celebrate the landmark record’s 50th anniversary, we’ve dug into the archives all the way back to 2018 to re-release the very first season of The Opus! Hosted by journalist and author Paula Mejía, The Opus: Blood on the Tracks explores the legacy of both the record and Dylan himself. On this episode, film critics Monica Castillo and Jordan Hoffman discuss Dylan's cinematic legacy. (Editor's Note: Admittedly, some of the info her is outdated - remember when Luca Guadagnino was planning a Blood on the Tracks adaptation?) That's especially fitting in light of the new biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Consequence’s 2024 Film Performer of the Year Timotheé Chalamet as Dylan.Take some shelter from the storm and tune in to The Opus: Blood on the Tracks, with re-released episodes dropping every other day this whole week.In our prior episode, Paula spoke with songwriters Beth Orton and Kevin Morby about the gripping nature of these heart-wrenching tunes. On this episode, Paula is joined by two fabulous film critics, Monica Castillo and Jordan Hoffman to discuss Dylan's life on the silver screen.Consequence is also holding the All for LA benefit on the Consequence Shop in response to the deadly wildfires still burning in Los Angeles. 100% of proceeds from our new “Protect Live Music: All for LA” short sleeved T-shirt will be donated to MusiCares as they work to help music industry professionals recover; 100% of proceeds for all other All for LA merch, including The Opus T-shirts, will go to benefit One World Kitchen in their efforts to help feed those battling the fires and communities impacted by the destruction. Find out more at the Consequence Shop.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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50th Anniversary: Blood on the Tracks: Beth Orton and Kevin Morby on Dylan's Songwriting Process
Jan 22, 202500:22:43Tap to summarizeBob Dylan’s iconic 15th studio album Blood on the Tracks was released on January 20th, 1975. To celebrate the landmark record’s 50th anniversary, we’ve dug into the archives all the way back to 2018 to re-release the very first season of The Opus! Hosted by journalist and author Paula Mejía, The Opus: Blood on the Tracks explores the legacy of both the record and Dylan himself, with special guests including Kevin Morby and Beth Orton, as well as episodes focusing on things like Dylan’s cinematic legacy. That’s especially fitting in light of the new biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Consequence’s 2024 Film Performer of the Year Timotheé Chalamet as Dylan.Take some shelter from the storm and tune in to The Opus: Blood on the Tracks, with re-released episodes dropping every other day this whole week.In our prior episode, NPR Music's Anne Powers and the Lincoln Center's Jill Sternheimer talked about musical canons, what makes an opus, and how legacies evolve. In this episode, Paula speaks with two gifted songwriters, Kevin Morby and Beth Orton. Together, they unpack the distinctive way that Dylan unfurls his narratives within song, the model of confessional songwriting that Blood on the Tracks helped build, And what makes these heartbreaking tunes endlessly listenable.Consequence is also holding the All for LA benefit on the Consequence Shop in response to the deadly wildfires still burning in Los Angeles. 100% of proceeds from our new “Protect Live Music: All for LA” short sleeved T-shirt will be donated to MusiCares as they work to help music industry professionals recover; 100% of proceeds for all other All for LA merch, including The Opus T-shirts, will go to benefit One World Kitchen in their efforts to help feed those battling the fires and communities impacted by the destruction. Find out more at the Consequence Shop.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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50th Anniversary: Blood on the Tracks: Canonizing Bob Dylan's Human Opus
Jan 20, 202500:29:54Tap to summarizeBob Dylan’s iconic 15th studio album Blood on the Tracks was released on January 20th, 1975. To celebrate the landmark record’s 50th anniversary, we’ve dug into the archives all the way back to 2018 to re-release the very first season of The Opus! Hosted by journalist and author Paula Mejía, The Opus: Blood on the Tracks explores the legacy of both the record and Dylan himself, with special guests including Kevin Morby and Beth Orton, as well as episodes focusing on things like Dylan’s cinematic legacy. That’s especially fitting in light of the new biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Consequence’s 2024 Film Performer of the Year Timotheé Chalamet as Dylan.Take some shelter from the storm and tune in to The Opus: Blood on the Tracks, with re-released episodes dropping every other day this whole week.Consequence is also holding the All for LA benefit on the Consequence Shop in response to the deadly wildfires still burning in Los Angeles. 100% of proceeds from our new “Protect Live Music: All for LA” short sleeved T-shirt will be donated to MusiCares as they work to help music industry professionals recover; 100% of proceeds for all other All for LA merch, including The Opus T-shirts, will go to benefit One World Kitchen in their efforts to help feed those battling the fires and communities impacted by the destruction. Find out more at the Consequence Shop.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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Hip-Hop 50: Cypress Hill’s Weed Rap Changed Cannabis Culture
Aug 25, 202300:17:54Tap to summarizeIn celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re opening up The Opus podcast archives to re-release seasons focused on some of history's most legendary rap albums. Next up we revisit Cyrus Hills self-title record — a landmark of West Coast hip-hop that pioneered the “weed rap” movement. What’s more, Cypress Hill’s own B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs all joined us for the journey through the album’s legacy. For more from Cypress Hill, check out Sen Dog’s Crate Digging into 10 essential hip-hop albums.”, and there will be loads of artist interviews, essays, and more coming throughout the month, so make sure to check it all out at Consequence.net.You can also snag some of our exclusive Hip-Hop 50 merch at the Consequence Shop.Season 15 of Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus comes to its conclusion on a high point as we explore how Cypress Hill put weed rap on the map.Within a few months of its release, the impact of Cypress Hill and the subject matter of some of the raps therein was apparent. Other rappers started writing songs that expanded more on the glory of marijuana. While we think of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre as pioneers in the art of weed rap, it’s often forgotten that Dre once bragged on record about never smoking weed. But, after Cypress Hill lifted their veil of smoke, Dre got to work on an album called The Chronic.And Cypress Hill’s cannabis candidness wasn’t just relegated to their raps, either. The group became outspoken advocates for the legalization of marijuana, ushering in a new era of pot positivity that Cypress Hill are still pushing forward to this very day.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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Hip-Hop 50: Cypress Hill Revolutionized Hip-Hop via Hard Rock and Latin Funk
Aug 23, 202300:21:35Tap to summarizeIn celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re opening up The Opus podcast archives to re-release seasons focused on some of history's most legendary rap albums. Next up we revisit Cyrus Hills self-title record — a landmark of West Coast hip-hop that pioneered the “weed rap” movement. What’s more, Cypress Hill’s own B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs all joined us for the journey through the album’s legacy.For more from Cypress Hill, check out Sen Dog’s Crate Digging into 10 essential hip-hop albums.”, and there will be loads of artist interviews, essays, and more coming throughout the month, so make sure to check it all out at Consequence.net.You can also snag some of our exclusive Hip-Hop 50 merch at the Consequence Shop.On the previous episode of Consequence Podcast Network and Sony's The Opus Season 15, we explored the chemistry between the voices of Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Sen Dog. In Episode 3, we look at the unique alchemy of their beats.The place where rock and metal meet has always been a part of Cypress Hill's sonic and cultural identity. Sen Dog's first concert was thrash-metal band Slayer; that band's drummer, Dave Lombardo (who, like Sen, is Cuban-American), was his high-school friend. At the end of "How I Could Just Kill a Man," someone quotes Suicidal Tendencies' "Institutionalized."Cypress Hill's sound had its origins as much in hard rock as it did with Latin funk. The group put their guitar-based influences under every one of their raps.In this episode, host Jill Hopkins and her guests talk about that intersection between rock and hip-hop, and examine how other artists found themselves at the center of the Venn diagram Cypress Hill first drew.Original music by Tony Piazza.Subscribe now so you can keep up on all the new Opus episodes. Also, keep an eye out for a special giveaway in the coming weeks to continue the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Cypress Hill.Also, grab yourself an official Opus hoodie or T-Shirt at the Consequence Shop or using the buy-now buttons below.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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Hip-Hop 50: Cypress Hill’s Chemistry Made for Explosive Hip-Hop
Aug 18, 202300:18:43Tap to summarizeIn celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re opening up The Opus podcast archives to re-release seasons focused on some of history's most legendary rap albums. Next up we revisit Cyrus Hills self-title record — a landmark of West Coast hip-hop that pioneered the “weed rap” movement. What’s more, Cypress Hill’s own B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs all joined us for the journey through the album’s legacy. For more from Cypress Hill, check out Sen Dog’s Crate Digging into 10 essential hip-hop albums.”, and there will be loads of artist interviews, essays, and more coming throughout the month, so make sure to check it all out at Consequence.net.You can also snag some of our exclusive Hip-Hop 50 merch at the Consequence Shop.Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus Season 15 continues as we explore the unparalleled chemistry between Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Sen Dog. B-Real’s high-pitched, nasal rap style played off the boom of Sen Dog’s authoritative baritone for a sound unlike anyone else.In Episode 2 of The Opus: Cypress Hill, the two rappers discuss finding their voices, while the legendary Chuck D (Public Enemy, Prophets of Rage) heaps praise on the group’s unique sound.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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Hip-Hop 50: Cypress Hill - Southern California Was a Cultural Powder Keg
Aug 16, 202300:17:18Tap to summarizeIn celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re opening up The Opus podcast archives to re-release seasons focused on some of history's most legendary rap albums. Next up we revisit Cyrus Hills self-title record — a landmark of West Coast hip-hop that pioneered the “weed rap” movement. What’s more, Cypress Hill’s own B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs all joined us for the journey through the album’s legacy. For more from Cypress Hill, check out Sen Dog’s Crate Digging into 10 essential hip-hop albums.”, and there will be loads of artist interviews, essays, and more coming throughout the month, so make sure to check it all out at Consequence.net.You can also snag some of our exclusive Hip-Hop 50 merch at the Consequence Shop.Season 15 of The Opus, presented by the Consequence Podcast Network and Sony, travels back to the Southern California in which Cypress Hill’s sound exploded onto the scene.The sonic sense of urgency in the hip-hop group's self-titled debut album was a time-and-place thing -- a product of late '80s/early '90s Los Angeles that was swept up in the tension just before the Rodney King verdict and the uprising that followed.Cypress Hill's lyrics and beats were tailor made for the subwoofers in the trunks of the low riders that played them, and would echo around rap's landscape in the years to come. And it served as representative for the Black and brown voices who felt the need to protest as much as they felt the desire to party in the face of a community that would soon be national news.In this first episode of The Opus: Cypress Hill, we venture into Cypress Hill’s Southern California, and the powder keg that made their debut album important, necessary, and seemingly ubiquitous. And who better to give host Jill Hopkins a tour of this era than the members of Cypress Hill themselves, as B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs guest on EpisodeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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Hip-Hop 50: The Score - Fugees In the Lab
Aug 11, 202300:26:16Tap to summarizeIn celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re opening up The Opus podcast archives to re-release seasons focused on some of history's most legendary rap albums. First up, we revisit Fugees’ classic The Score, which comes in at number 15 on Consequence’s list of the 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. You can see the full list on Consequence, and there will be loads of artist interviews, essays, and more coming throughout the month, so make sure to check it all out at Consequence.net.You can also snag some of our exclusive Hip-Hop 50 merch at the Consequence Shop.Here on The Opus, we’ll also be re-releasing our season about Cypress Hill’s self-titled record, so make sure to check back every Wednesday and Friday for fresh episodes from the archives.So much of hip-hop is built on the notion of creating something from something. Call it covering, call it borrowing, call it sampling, but don't call it unoriginal. For decades, samples have helped musicians turn some of greatest hits into even greater hits.Fugees are no exception to this. They built upon this legacy, The samples and covers included on 1996's The Score range everywhere from The Delphonics to Enya -- and yet they’re seamlessly woven together to create a distinct, singular album.In the Season 13 finale, host Jill Hopkins heads to the operating room to dissect three songs off The Score that best embody the art of the sample and the depth of knowledge the Fugees brought to the studio: "Zealots", "The Score", and "Ready or Not".Surrounding Jill at the table with scalpels and insight are Ruffhouse Records co-founders Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo; rapper Psalm One; and music journalist Insanul Ahmed. Together, they discuss why certain bits were used, why whole songs were sometimes included, and how the Fugees turned existing classics into their own -- read: completely new -- classics.Original music by Tony Piazza.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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Hip-Hop 50: The Score - Fugees In Haiti
Aug 9, 202300:21:13Tap to summarizeIn celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re opening up The Opus podcast archives to re-release seasons focused on some of history's most legendary rap albums. First up, we revisit Fugees’ classic The Score, which comes in at number 15 on Consequence’s list of the 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. You can see the full list on Consequence, and there will be loads of artist interviews, essays, and more coming throughout the month, so make sure to check it all out at Consequence.net.You can also snag some of our exclusive Hip-Hop 50 merch at the Consequence Shop.Here on The Opus, we’ll also be re-releasing our season about Cypress Hill’s self-titled record, so make sure to check back every Wednesday and Friday for fresh episodes from the archives.The Fugees were culturally unique in myriad ways. They were a trio comprised of one American-born Black woman and yet also two Haitian immigrants, who both took pride in their heritage. Naturally, this pride was weaved into the fabric of 1996's The Score, and the album's success meant that they were able to champion Haitian music in both America and abroad.In this episode, host Jill Hopkins speaks to the trio's family, friends, and fans about Haiti’s effect on the Fugees and the Fugees effect on Haiti, Haitians, and their fans who saw their own American immigrant and refugee experiences reflected back at them.Along for the journey are award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste, producer Jerry Wonda, Ruffhouse Records co-founder Chris Schwartz, music journalists Dometi Pongo and Insanul Ahmed, and reggae legend Sly Dunbar. Together, they study the symbiosis between band and homeland as it pertains to the Fugees.Original music by Tony Piazza.Don't forget to enter our giveaway to win a Fugees prize pack, which includes vinyl, a turntable, and headphones. (Note: If you’re having trouble seeing the widget, enter here.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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